The Penang state housing department has called in more than 22 applicants on the people’s housing project (PPR) waiting list to offer them various options including rent-to-own schemes, reported Malay Mail.

One of them was Mohd Jamal Madar, who had been waiting for a PPR unit for almost 20 years.

The 68-year old odd job worker had applied for a PPR unit in 2000 but is yet to receive an offer for a unit.

“I applied when my wife was alive, now, my wife has already passed away and two of our children had also passed away, yet I am still waiting for a place to live in,” said Mohd Jamal, who is currently staying in a rented house in Paya Terubong with his son.

While he had been called in by the housing department for interviews, he claimed that he was never offered a unit.

“I am losing hope … maybe I have to wait till I die before I can get a unit.”

Another applicant, Chew Kim Choo, revealed she had applied for a PPR unit with the housing department since 2003.

Chew, who had been renting kampung houses all these years, revealed that she and her two sons had been living like nomads over the last 10 to 20 years.

“We have been moving all around a lot, every time there is a development, the kampung has to be vacated and yet again we have to move so we have moved from one end of Perak Road to another end.”

“We only want a proper place to live in permanently that we can afford.”

Mohd Jamal and Chew were just two of the 1,137 applicants waiting for PPR housing in Penang.

Penang State Exco Jagdeep Singh Deo noted that these are the people that had to be helped by the state.

“We need to answer to these people who have been waiting for so long, this is why those who are ineligible must vacate the PPR units,” he said.

Recently, 22 ineligible tenants from Taman Manggis have been evicted by the state.

Jagdeep explained that the tenants had to be evicted as they were already ineligible for the PPR units as they now have their own homes, their monthly household income is higher than the RM1,500 minimum, and have sublet the units to others.